<p>I posted a version of this earlier today in another thread. Having now gone through the process as a parent three times (including Med School applications) and pouring over these boards just a few years ago, I thought I’d share a few thoughts that might be helpful for those who were deferred or rejected today.</p>
<p>My son was accepted to Yale in 2004 the first year of SCEA which is still known as “the bloodbath.” If you take the time to go back and look through CC archives you will see plenty of 4.0/1600 (old score) applicants that were rejected just as you see them now on the threads for Penn and other schools that have already released their ED decisions.</p>
<p>When he was applying we tried to steel ourselves and his contain his single mindedness about Yale by telling him that if he was rejected that they didn’t deserve him.</p>
<p>It is important to keep one thing in mind, and I really do know that this is difficult to do, but admissions to Yale (or any other highly selective school) really is a crap shoot at best. At one Yale info session we attended (we went to four in two years) we were told that over 95 % of all applicants are truly qualified for admission to Yale. When you consider that the admit rate is somewhere around 7-8% historically that means that 92 to 93 % of the 95% of qualified applicants do not get accepted. In reality, Yale (and most other Ivies) could fill their incoming class several times over with nothing but applicants with 4.0s and 2400s but in their words that “would be a very boring class.” One thing that they stressed over and over was that they strive to admit a class that is “interesting”…again their words not mine.</p>
<p>I have gotten to know a former Ivy admission rep very well in the years since my son applied to Yale. He has told me that the process is far more difficult than one would imagine because on paper there are so many candidates that are truly indistinguishable from each other. Couple that with what can be almost stereotypical ECs for certain groups (he cited the example of Asians who have played piano or violin since age 4, play chess, tennis or are fencers, have virtually all their APs in math and science and who write essays that extol why they are the best of the best) and it truly becomes mind numbing. This becomes even more difficult for that particular subset because of the sheer number of Asians who apply and compete with each other for a limited number of spots.</p>
<p>In EA or ED they are looking for people who truly stand out, not just in raw numbers because virtually every app they look at has numbers worthy of admission. They read every application a minimum of two times and rate them on a 1-10 scale. 9s and 10s are admits without question…they don’t require committee review, 7s and 8s will sometimes go to another reading before the committee and and 6s are automatically going to another reading before the committee. Anything below a 6 must have a compelling reason to go before the committee for review. Essays are very important because they are the ONLY way that an ADCOM has to humanize the person behind the numbers. </p>
<p>When you think about the sheer enormity of the process, 5500 plus SCEA apps to be read and processed by December 15th by a group of about 11 or 12 admissions reps. Each essay is read at least twice so the number is now 11,000 essays at a minimum. That represents almost 1000 apps per committee member. I was told that they all start to look very much alike and almost formulaic. The essays that really stand out, that make the admissions rep want to meet that person are the ones that go to the top of the pile and help them sift through the maze of look alike applications. These are the ones that are accepted; the next best are deferred and the ones that just don’t find a way to separate themselves from the rest of look-a-likes are rejected. On top of all of this, because it is an EA decision and is not binding they have to think about yield, about over-filling the class etc since they still have another 15,000 plus applicants to review for RD and are still limited to a class size of about 1300 incoming students. With Harvard doing away with all early programs they also know that some are using EA to “game” the Harvard process. </p>
<p>I wil leave you with our story.</p>
<p>My son attended a private school with 82 grads in the class. Yale had been his dream school since the eighth grade and when he was accepted SCEA it was the happiest day of his life. He was one of three in his class admitted SCEA, one (a legacy) was deferred. Ultimately seven students (including the legacy) in his class were accepted to Yale but he is the only one who chose not to attend. He instead opted to accept a Morehead Scholarship at UNC. Sometime during his sophomore year at UNC he told us that despite his long time Yale dream he honestly couldn’t see himself at Yale any longer and was so very happy with his decision to attend UNC instead.</p>
<p>He never regretted his decision, had an incredible undergrad experience which took him to many parts of the world, from French West Africa to much of western Europe and 3 months in Paris as part of the scholarship and today he is an MS-1 (first year Med student) at a top ten Med School.</p>
<p>In short what I am trying to say is that if indeed you were denied admission to Yale today (whether rejected or deferred) it does not make you a lesser person in any way or any less smart or talented. It is NOT the end of the world and I promise you that you will find a place that will welcome you and at which you will thrive and be extremely happy.</p>
<p>Please accept my thoughts and best wishes to all and may you have much success at whatever school you choose to attend.</p>